Some "Adhesive labels"
Bud's Big BlueBud's Observations
Since the British invented postage stamps, a British
definition of “postage stamp” seems appropriate, a proper one, of course. I
consulted the Oxford English Dictionary.
Postage
stamp. [f. postage[1]
+ stamp sb.] An official stamp, either
a stamp embossed on an envelope or impressed on a card or wrapper, or else (now
usually) a small adhesive label having a specified value (in Great Britain from
½ d. upward), and bearing the design
of a certain pattern and colour appropriated to its value, sold by or in behalf
of the Post Office, to be affixed to any letter or packet sent by post, as a
means of prepayment of postage, and as evidence of such payment.
By British standards, then, the
three “adhesive labels” shown above qualify. So do all stamps in the scans,
except for the cinderellas on supplement pages.
Highlights in these scans:
1.
Date and place visible cancels. I always check feeder albums for interesting
British cancels. Sadly, most early cancels obliterate the image. So, over the
years, I’ve tried to weed out the work of heavy-handed postal officials.
2.
A previous owner penned the helpful discussion
regarding two penny blues (Supplement page 1). The top stamp on that page is the dark blue #2 variety whilst the one occupying the space provided in BB
is light blue. Both have red Maltese Cross cancels.
3.
The Mulready (supplement page 3) has a penny
post backstamp, shown by means of a photocopy beneath the actual Mulready. -
4.
In the middle of the row of penny reds (top,
supplement Page 7) are two showing their back sides, one solid blue and the
other with a white bleed through (aka, ghost stamp).
5.
I’m lucky to have found mint stamps for the top
half of page 2.
6.
Page 8 shows a Royal Household stamp, the only
one I’ve ever come across (eBay has them, though), and a royal cypher label
from the early 1800s. Might such cypher (escutcheon) labels, which were glued
onto royal documents and communications, be the inspiration for the first
adhesive stamps?
7.
On the same page, J3 and J11 are both scarce and
sometimes wrongly labeled by dealers.
8.
The highest CV in the collection is awarded to
one of the three stamps in the header. Guess which.
9.
Sorting British Morocco stamps presents a
challenge.
Census: 276 in BB spaces, 10
tip-ins, 156 on supplement pages.
Jim's Observations
What I learned while writing the Great Britain 1840-1800 blog.....
1) Expensive
2) One needs to be picky about condition, as there are many more bad than good stamps extant in collections for the Victorian era.
3) The Penny Reds are really interesting.
4) Big Blue's usual meek requirements for most countries turned into a Raging Lion here. Twenty-seven new members are added to the "Most Expensive" list. !
5) The Stanley Gibbons 2012 Commonwealth & British Empire Stamps 1840-1970 catalogue was a big help.
6) Free the common 16 dot Penny Lilac and put it in Big Blue!
Blog Posts and BB Checklists
Great Britain 1840-1900
Great Britain 1900-1950
Great Britain - BOB, Offices
Page 1
1a
1b
1c
Page 2
2a
2b
2c
2d
Page 3
3a
3b
3c
Page 4
4a
4b
4c
Page 5
5a
5b
5c
Page 6
6a
6b
6c
6d
Page 7
7a
7b
7c
7d
Page 8
8a
8b
8c
8d
Supplements
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 22
Comments appreciated!
Your info was very helpful to me in reviewing lots of old classic stamps that after 60 years after inheriting o a am now looking at some old classics from the old album”THE INTRRNATIONAL POSTSGE STAMPS ALBUM by J. Walter Scott”
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